The last day of school had passed and now every child in Detroit was free to enjoy their summer vacation for the next three months. It seemed the louder the children laughed and cheered for their summertime freedom, the hotter the air throughout the city became. With everyone cranking up their personal air conditioners to battle the sweltering heat and find a way to keep cool as summer vacation finally began, rolling brownouts were not only common but expected. Even with all the advances in technology keeping Detroit afloat and reputable as a pioneering city in both industrial and electronic engineering, powerplants and the power grid still struggled to keep up with the high power demands from every home, apartment and business in Detroit.
As a means of preserving power and keeping his electricity bill relatively low, Hank had decided to spend the day outside in the backyard with Cole to engage in a few water themed games. Using massive water guns, water balloons and an inflatable pool to help beat the heat had been a fantastic idea that Cole himself fully supported. Even Sumo seemed to approve of the outdoor activities as he chilled in the shade beneath the large tree and rolled about in the damp grass around him.
"You better run!" Hank shouted playfully as he took aim at Cole with his water gun primed and ready to flow. "I'm not going to miss!"
"Hey!" Cole shouted in response as the cold water hit him and made him laugh. Returning fire Cole managed to get his dad's face wet with his own water gun. "I'm not going to run away from a fight!"
"Then you better duck!" Teasing his son with a large water balloon in his hand Hank watched as Cole's eyes got a little bigger. "It's coming right for ya'!"
From within the uncomfortably warm kitchen Connor watched through the window over the sink as Hank and Cole ran about playing their game while Sumo remained in the shade. His reluctance to socialize with Cole whenever Hank was around had kept the deviant android cooped up inside all day, and his core temperature was slowly beginning to rise to an uncomfortable degree the longer he remained inside the stuffy house.
Wearing his usual uniform wasn't helping matters either. The long sleeved dress shirt was hot enough as it was, but having the gray blazer over top and his dark jeans covering his legs was enough to cause Connor to only radiate heat from his own core. The layers of clothing kept that heat internally contained while externally absorbing the heat from the outside world.
...ERROR DETECTED:
-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK]
-CHECKING BIOSENSORS... OK]
-CHECKING AI ENGINE... OK]
-MEMORY STATUS... OK]
WARNING:
[...Core Temperature reaching suboptimal level: ^101 Degrees Fahrenheit]
[...Take immediate cooling measures]
Dismissing the warning in his visual processors Connor decided to return to the garage to ensure he didn't accidentally say or do anything that'd upset Hank once the man returned to the house. The moment he stepped into the garage Connor immediately regretted it since the enclosed space, while now properly insulated, had very poor airflow and without the air conditioner running at a notable degree the garage was not only hot but stifling.
Connor sat down on the edge of his cot and bowed his head slightly as he ran a scan of the garage around him and noted that the room was currently resting at an uncomfortable temperature of one-hundred and two degrees thanks to the high noon sun and unseasonably warm weather hitting the state earlier than expected. The outside temperature was at a slightly lower ninety-two degrees, but with the breeze the air felt slightly cooler at eighty-five degrees. Being trapped indoors and inside the one room that he was allowed to navigate without consequence as it behaved more like an oven than anything else had resulted in Connor feeling a form of discomfort he hadn't felt before.
...ERROR DETECTED:
-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK]
-CHECKING BIOSENSORS... OK]
-CHECKING AI ENGINE... OK]
-MEMORY STATUS... OK]
WARNING:
[...Core Temperature reaching dangerous level: ^102.3 Degrees Fahrenheit]
[...Take immediate cooling measures]
As his core temperature continued to elevate Connor attempted to enter low power mode to protect himself from heat induced damage to his biocomponents and his intracranial processor. It was a simple thing, but it would potentially be effective and sufficient enough to keep him safe as he waited for the heat to break or for Hank to turn up the air conditioner throughout the house. Either way, the deviant had to sit alone in the dark, scorching garage as he waited to see what was going to happen next.
"I'm sitting in dark heat without a friend to keep me company. I imagine that this is qualifies as an apt comparison to the Hell that many humans believe exist."
The outside fun continued on for another three hours before Hank had decided to call for a break and to get some lunch. The older man didn't want to admit that he needed a minute to catch his breath and make Cole feel like he was leaving his own dad in the dust. With the water guns put aside and the remaining water balloons placed inside the inflatable pool to avoid premature popping, Hank called for Sumo to follow Cole and himself back inside the house to get something to eat and to drink some cool water. The second Hank opened the backdoor to set foot inside the kitchen he sighed and realized that turning down the air conditioner had been a huge mistake.
Moving quickly Hank adjusted the thermostat and cranked the air conditioner up to take the bite out of the air and make it bearable. After turning on the air Hank walked into the kitchen to find something to eat and reminded Cole to reapply his sunscreen before heading back outside. The sunlight was intense and would remain intense until the sun finally set.
"All right, let's get something nice to eat." Hank suggested as he pulled open the refrigerator door and peered inside. The sight of the large watermelon half and the pitcher of fresh lemonade was enough to make the man feel instantly refreshed. "Score! Looks like Connor knew exactly what to buy for the summer."
Cole sat at the table and watched as his dad presented him with the cool fruit and the icy pitcher. "Yeah! Watermelon!"
"Let's have some of this good stuff before we go out there for round two."
It didn't take long for Hank to slice up the watermelon into four equal slices for Cole and himself to share. The moment the lemonade was poured into their glasses the father and son duo happily ate their snack while Sumo lapped up his water from the nearby bowl. Being in the shade felt great even if the air was still warm, but the refreshing snack helped make things far more bearable.
"This is some great watermelon." Hank admitted as he put his seeds aside to be tossed later. "I wonder if androids have the ability to find perfect produce?"
"We could ask Connor and find out!"
"Maybe later."
"Can he come out and play with us?" Cole asked as he quickly finished off his first watermelon slice and picked up the second slice to continue his tasty snack. "We have another water gun he can use!"
"I don't know if it'll want to play with us, bud." Looking at the closed laundry room door Hank waited for any sign of the android to emerge from the other side. It had been several weeks since Connor had begun actively avoiding Hank and remaining isolated from the rest of the household whenever Hank was around. "I don't think androids do the summertime things like we do."
"Can I at least ask?"
"...Yeah, sure." The stubborn man didn't want to share spending time with Cole with someone else, but he wasn't about to let his petty jealousy potentially damage his relationship with his son by constantly pushing away someone that Cole truly adored. "Finish up your lemonade and go ask it if it wants to play."
"Okay!"
Hank chuckled a little as he watched Cole pound down his remaining lemonade like he was at some 'G' rated frat house. The way Cole was eager to invite Connor into the backyard for some fun helped ease Hank's currently negative mindset regarding Connor. Finishing off his own snack Hank didn't budge from his chair as Cole jumped down from his seat to get to the garage a few feet away. The little boy was in the garage only for a few minutes before he returned to the kitchen looking confused and seeking his dad's assistance.
"Dad?"
"Yeah, son?"
"I think something's wrong with Connor."
Pausing for a moment Hank turned his head and gave Cole a perplexed glance as he put his mostly empty glass aside. "What do you mean?"
"He's not moving and his light's all red."
"Did it talk to you?"
"No. He's sleeping and won't wake up."
"Huh... Let me take a look."
Sensing that something was wrong Hank calmly walked over to the opened side door and peered inside the garage to look at Connor for himself. The sight of the android sitting upright on the edge of the cot and as still as stone was surprisingly unnerving. But the moment the heat within the garage hit Hank's face the man had an idea as to why Connor was so unresponsive.
"Whoa, holy shit." Motioning for Cole to get back into the kitchen Hank decided it'd be best to get Connor out of the hot garage and into the relatively cooler livingroom until he regained consciousness. "Cole, step back. I'm going to get Connor out of here."
"Is he sick?"
"Well," Hank knelt down in front of Connor and put his hand under the android's chin to lift his head up and back. The android's eyes were closed, his light was glowing in red without blinking, and he wasn't breathing. "it looks like it's been overwhelmed by the heat. That's why we need to be careful in the summertime or whenever it's really hot."
Trusting his emergency training as a first responder Hank took hold of Connor's arm and pulled the deviant's stiff body up and over his shoulder. Easily able to heft the surprisingly lightweight android around Hank carried Connor back into the house and straight into the livingroom to lay him down over the length of the couch. The largest air vent in the house was located in the livingroom and ensured that a nice rush of cool air would be able to sweep over Connor's overheating form.
"Shit, it feels like it's about to burst into flames." Hank commented dryly as he gently laid Connor down on his back to get away from the smothering heat of the enclosed garage. Giving the android's shoulder a gentle shake Hank tried to get a response from the unconscious deviant as Connor's body slowly went limp. "I need to get the vents in the garage checked out."
Cole walked into the livingroom and watched as his dad tried to get Connor to wake up and respond. "Can I help?"
"Uh, yeah, actually." Having an idea of what to do Hank sat Connor upright and removed the deviant's gray blazer to get the layer off of the overheating android's body. Despite the light colors of his clothing Connor was undoubtedly being overcome by the heat. "Go get the fan out of the hallway closet. We'll point it at Connor to help it cool down."
While Cole went to get the fan as requested Hank removed Connor's shoes and socks, and then unbuttoned the android's white dress shirt. Instinctively Hank began treating Connor like he was a human suffering from heat stroke and did everything he could to help the android cool down without accidentally shocking him in the process. Fortunately, the android wouldn't require any help with rehydration since he couldn't sweat. He'd just need the chance to get his core temperature under control and ensure his intracranial processor hadn't been damaged by the heat.
"Now, let's see how I can get Connor to wake up." Thinking out loud Hank tried the usual methods of calling the android's name, giving him a gentle shake and even trying controlled painful stimuli by rubbing his knuckles along the center of Connor's chest where his sternum would be located. Nothing seemed to work. "Great. Guess I gotta' do another Google search on this thing."
Cole had brought the fan into the livingroom and placed it down on the coffee table to point right at Connor on the couch. The wireless and bladeless fan was always charged and ready to go thanks to Hank thinking ahead and making sure everything had a proper charge.
"That's good, Cole." Hank complimented as he watched Cole over his shoulder while he sat at the small desk against the wall. After he opened his laptop Hank began a search on the signs of overheating in androids and how to fix the issue. "Why don't you go get some fresh water for Sumo and put some ice cubes in his bowl? I'll take care of Connor while you take care of Sumo."
Slowly Cole left the livingroom and walked into the kitchen to take care of the lovable dog. He didn't want to leave Connor alone, but he didn't know what he could possibly do to help in that strange situation.
"Okay, let's see... 'In the event your android has suffered from overheating, it's recommended that the android be placed in a cool room and manually rebooted from emergency stasis mode if the android doesn't reboot on its own in one hour.' All right, seems simple enough." Hank read over the details on his laptop screen and began taking mental notes. "What else do we have here? 'To determine if your android is suffering from overheating and not another error, check for these telltale signs: Red tinted L.E.D. that does not blink. Palpable heat radiating from the android. Rigidity in the joints. Lack of reaction to commands.' Connor just checked all the boxes."
As Hank scrolled through the information he had uncovered, Cole made his way down the hallway and into the bathroom. Casually Cole dropped a washcloth in the sink in the bathroom to soak it in cold water, then he wrung it out before carrying it into the living. Doing the best that he could Cole draped the cold washcloth over Connor's forehead and then stood back.
"Cole?" Hank noticed that Cole was back in the livingroom and tried to figure out what his son was up to. "What're you doing?"
"I gave Connor a washcloth."
"Why?"
"'Cuz he's too hot. That helps me feel better when I get too hot!"
"Yeah, but that's because you had a fever, not- Actually," since treating victims of heat stroke wasn't too dissimilar to treating victims of a high fever, Hank decided to let Cole keep up with the washcloth. "that's a good idea. Good work, son."
While Cole fussed with the washcloth Hank continued to read up on overheating androids. Some of the details he read were eerily human in nature and description.
"Where was I? Oh, here. 'To rule out other issues causing your android to malfunction, check the android's eyes to ensure that the irises are cosmetically correct and not blackened out with a bright blue hue over the pupils. Also check on your android's Thirium pump to ensure it's still active. A lack of Thirium pump motion is a sign of a larger error that requires immediate CyberLife assistance'. Thirium pump..." Hank remembered that particular biocomponent's function and turned his head to look at Connor on the couch again. "Its heart. Right."
Almost annoyed by the entire ordeal Hank walked over to the couch and knelt down beside the furniture. Leaning over the couch Hank first lifted up Connor's eyelids to check his eyes and found them to be normal, then pressed his palm against Connor's chest but didn't feel any motion under his touch. Unable to accurately determine Connor's heartbeat by touch alone Hank sighed and then pressed his ear down against the android's chest for a direct listen.
The steady but unusually quiet beating of Connor's heart confirmed that the android was still active and was in fact suffering from overheating. The lack of a secondary error should've been a relief, but for Hank it was an uncomfortable reminder that there was seemingly more to Connor than what he initially believed.
Only living beings hate hearbeats.
"Dad?" Cole didn't know what was happening and was completely confused by everything happening. "What're you doing?"
"Making sure Connor's pump is pumping."
"A pump?"
"That's what androids call their hearts." The man explained casually as he straightened up where he was still kneeling. Growing impatient with Connor's lack of responses Hank decided to take matters into his own hands. "All right, Cole. I'm about to give you a quick lesson on treating victims of heat stroke."
"Huh?"
"Like this. Don't worry, you just have to stand back and watch!"
With very little effort Hank managed to pull Connor up and over his shoulder again. The strong detective easily hefted the android out of the livingroom and into the bathroom to try a more potent form of cooling down than what the internet had recommended. Carefully Hank leaned down and placed Connor down inside the bathtub. Adjusting the temperature of the water before turning it on, Hank made sure that Connor would be drenched in cool water that wasn't too cold to ensure he stopped overheating. The sight of the water pouring down over Connor's unresponsive face and still body was fairly pathetic.
"Cole?" Hank called his son's name and watched as the little boy appeared in the opened doorway. "This is simple but effective. When someone's suffering from heat stroke or a high fever, it's important to get them cooled down but NOT too cold. Someone going from very hot to very cold in a small time frame can make them much worse than before."
"Then what?"
"For humans who get too hot, it's important to take them to the hospital for a doctor to help them. As for androids, I don't know yet."
"Are there doctors for androids?"
"Uh, yeah. Sort of." Slowly Hank sat down on the edge of the bathtub and put his hand beneath Connor's chin to turn the deviant's face toward the left so he could see the L.E.D. in the android's right temple. The light was still red but it was steadily beginning to darken then brighten intermittently. "They're called 'technicians'. I don't know any though."
After a few minutes passed Connor began to stir. Slowly the deviant took in a deep breath and let out a heated huff as his eyes cracked open. Confused as to why he was in the bathroom and soaking wet, Connor shifted his gaze about and noticed Hank sitting beside him while Cole watched him from the bathroom doorway. The deviant took in his bearings and finally spoke as he addressed the two humans watching over him.
"...What happened?"
"You got overwhelmed by the heat." Hank stated firmly as he watched Connor turn his head to look directly at him. The way Connor's L.E.D. was now blinking and cycling in a standard rhythm was a good sign that the android was no longer in immediate danger. "Cole found you in the garage and told me that you were acting weird."
Turning his head again Connor locked eyes with Cole and gave him a gracious nod of appreciation. "Thank you."
Cole walked over to the bathtub and gave Connor a worried glance. "Are you sick?"
"...In a way." The deviant android confirmed as he sat upright in the tub and bowed his head forward to let the shower run along the back of his neck and all over his now exposed back. "But I am feeling better now."
"I wanted you to go outside and play with me and dad." The little boy continued on in a somber tone. "If you're sick then you don't gotta' play though."
Connor heard the disappointment in Cole's voice and immediately felt like he had managed to get in the way and ruin things despite isolating himself from the rest of the household to prevent that very issue. "I'll play with you tomorrow once I've made a full recovery. I promise."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
Clearing his throat a little Hank turned off the shower and tossed a clean towel toward Connor to use. "Dry off. You're spending the rest of the day in the livingroom since the garage isn't a safe place for anyone to be right now."
Connor looked at the towel resting near his legs and picked it up slowly. It didn't take long to dry off his hair and the rest of his upper body thanks to having most of his clothing removed. Save for his wet jeans clinging to his legs Connor felt much better than he had earlier.
"I'll get you some old shorts to wear." Hank volunteered as he walked out of the bathroom and rubbed his palm along Cole's hair on the way out. "Be back soon."
Mindful of his sore joints Connor stood up carefully and draped the damp towel over the showerhead to dry off. "I'll be able to play with you tomorrow, Cole. What game did you have in mind?"
"Water gun fight!" The little boy replied with renewed joy in his voice. "It's so much fun!"
While the idea of using toy guns didn't sound as fun to Connor as it did to Cole, the kindhearted deviant didn't want to disappoint the little boy and was going to keep his promise to play the game the next day. After all, the deviant knew he'd rather get shot with some cold water over a bullet any day!
"Here ya' go." Hank dropped the dry clothing down on the sink and motioned for Cole to leave the bathroom so Connor could have some privacy. "After you're dressed go into the livingroom. Use the fan to keep cool until the rest of the house chills out with the air conditioner. And keep out of the garage until I get someone to clean out the vents in a day or two."
"...Very well. I'll be there in a moment."
Hank nodded as he closed the bathroom door and led Cole back into the kitchen. "All right. Connor's going to be fine and I'm ready for round two. How about you?"
"Yeah!" Cole beamed as he prepared to run outside and reclaim his water gun. "You're going down!"
"Hey, just a minute." Calling his son back inside for a second Hank picked up the bottle of sunscreen from the countertop and showed it to Cole. "You know the rules. New layer every hour. Go."
"Fine, okay."
"Good man." The senior detective heard the bathroom door open and turned to look at the hallway as Connor trudged toward the livingroom wearing only the khaki shorts in place of his wet jeans. The sight of Connor looking so casually human was somehow incredibly odd. "Like I said, Connor. Stay in the livingroom. Keep Sumo with you since he's got such thick fur. If an android can't handle the heat, then I know a snow-breed like Sumo won't either."
"...Of course." Connor spotted the large dog laying on his side next to his neatly empty water bowl and panting heavily as he also tried to cool down. "I'll take care of Sumo."
With their sunscreen reapplied Hank opened the backdoor and directed Cole back outside. "All right, bud. Final round of the day, so let's make it count!"
The way Hank and Cole were so close and had fun together gave Connor a sense of comfort. He knew that Hank was capable of love, kindness and support when he wasn't shielding his heart from the pain of the world around him. With Cole still in his life it seemed as if Hank would be much quicker to respond to Connor and his rather humanoid behavior, but it seemed stubbornness was going to win out and Connor would have to make do with just being a houseguest as opposed to a real member of Hank's small family.
"We're both going to be okay, boy."
Connor whispered as he knelt beside Sumo and lightly ran his palm down Sumo's side. He didn't want to make the dog feel even hotter by mistake as he gave the Saint Bernard some affectionate attention. A gentle tail thump and exposed belly to rub was all the positive affirmation that Connor needed.
"I'm not going to complain about being able to rest on the couch for a while, but I do wish that Hank would stop treating me as if I'm an inconvenience."
Standing up from the floor Connor picked up Sumo's water bowl and filled it with fresh, cool water and dropped a few ice cubes from the freezer into the water to ensure that the water remained relatively cold for a while longer. After returning the bowl to its spot on the floor Connor trudged into the livingroom and sat down on the couch directly in front of the blowing fan. It felt great to have the breeze passing over his exposed artificial skin, and with that little assistance Connor was well on his way to returning to his normal core temperature.
"Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for all of us. Things as of late have been rather problematic."
The deviant openly lamented as he ran a self-diagnostic and confirmed that his system was stabilizing. As he leaned back against the couch Connor turned his head and watched the fun taking place in the backyard by peering through the kitchen window from afar. Hearing Hank laughing, something that rarely ever happened in the alternate timeline, and hearing Cole laugh, which never happened in the alternate timeline, was bittersweet. Connor wanted to be a part of that joyous fun, but he also knew that he had so reason to just expect to be a part of anything happening in anyone else's life.
No one owed anyone anything.
"This new life is stranger far than I had anticipated. By the time the Revolution passes, I doubt I'll even see the slightest remnants of the past timeline and events I spent with Hank crossing over into this new timeline. With how many ways I've already messed up this new timeline, I suspect that'll ultimately be for the best."
-next chapter-